Merry-go-round



1935. w. w. DITTMAR ET AL 2,012,378

MERRY-GO ROUND Filed Jan. 26, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l gwue/wto'osZHZZZZCLWZ UEZZ Zmar QV Ba 61 Barao.

w. w. DITTMAR ET AL 2,012,378

MERRY-GOBOUND Filed Jan. 26, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 VA L9 m swam towZ/zZZzam Maid 577120.? 1, ficza/o 567 720 g 7 W. w. DITTMAR ET AL2,012,37

MERRY- GO ROUND Filed Jan. 26, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 amen W098 PatentedAug. 27, 1935 Y r r UNETED STATES PATENT orrioa William W. Dittmar andIsaac S. Barto,

'Williamsport, Pa.

Application January 26, 1933, Serial No. 653,690

15 Claims. (Cl. 27233) This invention relates to certain new anduseround constructed in accordance with our inful improvements inmerry-go-rounds and more vention; I

particularly to self-propelled merry-go-rounds, Figure 2 is a sideelevation of the same; the object being to provide a merry-go-roundFigure Bis a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig- .5 which is exceedinglystrong and durable and one ure 2; V which has a neat appearance. Figure4 is a detail horizontal section showing Another object of our inventionis to, provide the sub-frame for pp r n the Wheels and a merry-go-roundin which the frame is formed rank Shaft ther V of a pair ofconcentrically arranged spaced apart ur 5 is a Side fivation S wi aisectional bands forming a large area for adverfled form of constructingthe bands and connecto tising purposes and providing a support for theing e Sections together; 1

horses heads and the seats which are in the form F gu e 6 is & QCtiQntaken on line 6- -5 of of saddles, said bands also forming a guard whichllle an j Y encloses the wheels so as to protect the wheels F gu e 7 s ap r p ctiv View Of the abutting from the clothing of the riders. ends ofthe sections showing the means for se- Another object oflour inventionis to provide curing t e S e ge r h partsbeing the main frame with suoframes forming beartr ed- H ings for crank shafts carrying pedals bymeans carrying out our nv n we employ a of whicha circular frame ispropelled around a circular track ,l preferably'iormed of l circular trak, tions securedin a circular base 2 formed of a 20 Another object ofour invention is to provide 51 1 13 7 m er of ii l i Said b being thecircular frame of sectional bands secured toed to Placed on surface n fm gether by transverse fastening members which @1 e tl rm n havefoundfalso secure the horses heads in position and the U9 a whenfihebase 2 15 formed of sumcletlt sub-frames between the main frame. v d tcan be P t on fiat Surface and Wm 25 A still further object ofthe'invention is to pro- Support the track rlgldly' a vide aconstruction which is very strong and dur The merrwgo'rmfrtd prqper isformed of able and which is mounted and propelled around r m gg g agbangs 3 g ilfagk m as: bsmart;sztrsmsroastart 30 v r l i i i v assembledfor shipping purposes. lower clearly s-hown-m Flgure A still furtherobject of the invention is to sections of the bands are overlapped asprovide a merry-go-round which is formed or secsttown at i arranggdbetweetlfihe spiced tions connected together in a novel manner fi ggi 632: gg i m p 2 E 5 whereby the sections withthe horses heads and g 2 2;;g wg g gf g i i i can f p q w p P that double function of securing theoverlapping ends when bhe SeCulOl'lS arrive at their destinat on, theyof the bands of the frame together 2nd ecuring can be readily assembledand secured together to u u 40 form a rigid circular frame which has onits outer the Wheel frames sub frames 6 between the 0 t i spaced bandsas clearly shown in Figure 4. and Inner clrcumfelence an annularguldeway or These wheel frames are provided with transgropve into whichadvertising plates can beireadi'f versely arranged openings formingbearings for ltvlsertedior r m ed J shafts 8, said bands being providedwith regis- Bypconstflictmg 9 m m h ma tering openings through which theshaftsfi ex- 45 ner 9 9? 9 We ellmm'afte t'i tend, the shafts carryingcrank arms 9 provided guards for ind1v1dual wheels and dispense withwith pedals In by means f which the shaftscan the use of separate framesfor supporting horses be t h Openings of frame 5 f m n andsaddiesbearings for the shafts 8 and the shafts 8 are Other and furtherObJGClZS and advantages provided with wheels ll having grooved rims i250 the 1nvent1on will be hereinafter set forth and rresponding in shapeto the tracks I and on the novel features thereof defined in theappendwhich the vwheels are adapted to be mounted so E 01811115. l thatthe frame can be rotated or propelled there- In the drawings, v x on;Figure 1 is a perspective view of a merry-go- Disposed between-thespaced bands 3 and .4 55

in vertical alignment with the shafts 8 are the neck portions I3 ofhorses heads 14 which are secured in position by transversely arrangedbolts or rivets l5 which not only secure the heads in position betweenthe bands, but secure the overlapping ends of the bands together to formthe circular frame.

Arranged to the rear of each horses head is a seat 18- having adepending portionll extending between the spaced bands 3 and! andsecured by transverse bolts or rivets [8, the upper ends of the bandsforming a support for the seat or saddle.

It will be seen that the horses necks are reduced so that shoulders areformed which rest on the upper or beaded edges of the bands and the sameis true in respect to the seats or saddles so that the bands form asupport for the horses heads and the saddles without any additionalsupporting means. a Y

The circular frame formed of the spaced bands 3 and 4 is of sufficientsize to thoroughly protect the wheels I! and also provide a large areafor advertising purposes and by constructing this frame in thismanner'we dispense with all additional supports for the seats, horsesheads and the-like and provide a rigid circularframe rnounted on wheelsdriven by crank shafts so that the occupants of the merry-go-round cancause the frame to travel around the'circular track by operating thecranks-Q This provides a very simple construction which is very strongand durable, the parts being so-ar'rangedand connected together that alldanger of their becoming separated in use is dispensed with and aself-propelled merry-go round is formed very cheaply:

The horses heads are provided with bands i connected together by bars 20which are adapted to be grasped by the riders so as to enable the ridersto hold themselves in position on-themerrygo-round' as it is beingpropelled by the operation 'of the crank shaft, these bars forminghandle bars and while we have shown this particular construction, ofcourse, various changes-can be made without departing from the spirit ofour invention.

In the embodiment of our invention as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, weform the sectional circular bands 2i and 22 with turned over upper andlower edges 23 and 24 to form'a guideway into which advertising sheetsor plates 25 can be inserted by flexing the same whereby the advertisingmatter on the circular bands forming the framework of the merry-go-roundcan be readily changed from time to time. The upper-and'lower edges ofthe bands Hand 22' carry angle irons 26 and 21 which are preferablywelded thereto so as to form a frame of the proper strength to supportthe bands.

In the construction shown in Figures 1 to 4 the crank shaft 8 is mountedwithin the framefi but in the construction shown inFigures 5 6'and '7',clips 28' are carried by the frame in whichthe crank shafts 29 aremounted.

The saddles and horsesheads are secured between and on the upper angleirons 26 and 2'! at a point remote from the joint as clearly shown inFigure 5 and in constructing the merry-goround, the circular frameformed by the bands and angle irons is preferably formed infoursections, one end of each section being provided with outwardlyprojecting spaced substantially U- shaped clips 36 and 3|, theconnecting bars-0f these clips being inclined as shownat 3'2 and 33 andthese clips are pref erably' welded to the-bands asclearly shown. V

The opposite end of each section is provided with a substantially Ushaped clip 34 of a size to snugly fit between the clips and 3! when theends of the sections are brought together and this clip 33 is providedwith an inclined connecting bar 35 which forms an inclined wall inclinedin the opposite direction to the inclined walls of the clips 39 and 3|and into which is adapted to be inserted a wedge-shaped block 35 whichis provided with an opening 37 through which a bolt 38 is adapted topass, said bolt being mounted in a plate 39 adapted to straddle theangle irons 26 and 21 at the joint thereof, the bolt being provided witha threaded end on which is mounted a washer 40 and a nut 4! by means ofwhich the Wedge-shaped block can be drawn upwardly into position withinthe clips 3! and 35 so as to draw and that these clips are so arrangedthat when the four sections are arranged in abutting relation to oneanother, that four wedge-shaped blocks will be employed to draw thevarious sections tightly together and secure the frame in a rigidmanner.

' It is, of course, understood that the bands and the angle ironsconstituting the sections of the circular frame are formed of sufficientwidth to thoroughly protect the wheels from the clothes of the ridersandto provide suflicient area for carrying advertising matter.

'Wh'ile in the drawings We have only illustrated the abutting ends oftwo sections, it is, of course, understood that the abutting ends ofeach section are connected together in a similar manher and that thesections are provided with one or more wheels with cranks having pedalsby means of which the rider can propel the circular frame around acircular track.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that we have provided aself-propelled merrygo-round formed of a pair of spaced, concentricallyarranged bands formed of sections having 'wheel frames secured betweenthe bands for supporting the wheels with crank shafts and pedals foroperating the same and while we are aware that it' is old prior to ourinvention to use circular frames for supporting wheels, these frames donot form guards for the wheels to protect the clothing nor do they formsupports for the seats and horses heads.

What we claim is:

1. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of spacedcircular bands having wheel frames secured between the same adjacenttheir lower edges and horses heads between the same adjacent the upperedges for spacing said bands apart, wheels mounted in said framescarryingaxles provided with crank shafts having pedals, the periphery ofsaid wheels terminating in a plane below the upper edges of said bands,and a circular track upon which said wheels are mounted.

2. A self-propelled merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed ofspaced bands, wheel frames arranged between said bands adjacent theirlower edges, members arranged between said bands in vertical alignmentwith said 1 pedals carried by said cranks for rotating said wheels.

3. A merry-go-round comprising a circular track, wheels adapted totravel on said track, a circular frame carrying said wheels, saidcircular frame comprising spaced concentric bands enclosing said wheels,the upper edges of said frame being in a plane above the periphery ofsaid wheels, said bands forming supports for saddles and horses heads,said horses heads and saddles forming means for spacing said bands.

A. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of spaced bandshaving wheel frames arranged between the same adjacent their lower edgesand horses heads and saddles arranged between the same adjacent theirupper edges, shafts mounted in said wheel frames carrying wheelsprovided with grooved rims, the upper edges of the wheel frames being ina plane above the periphery of said wheels, cranks carried by saidshafts provided with pedals and a circular track on which said wheelsare adapted to travel.

5. A self-propelled merry-go-round composed of a frame formed of a pairof concentrically arranged wide bands, said bands being spaced apartadjacent their lower edges by wheel frames and adjacent the upper edgesby the neck portions of horses heads, wheels mounted in said wheel frameprovided with crank shafts, the upper edges of said bands being in aplane above the periphery of said wheels, said bands forming a guard forsaid wheels and saddles mounted directly upon the upper edges of saidbands.

6. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of spaced bands,said bands being formed of sections and means disposed between saidbands for drawing the abutting ends of said sections together andsecuring the same.

7. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of sections, eachsection comprising spaced bands carrying angle irons at their upper andlower edges, one end of one section being provided with spaced clips andthe other end of said section being provided with a single clip, saidclips being so disposed in respect to one another that when saidsections are assembled, the spaced clips receive the single clip on theabutting end of the adjacent section, and a member mounted in said clipshaving inclined faces'for drawing said sections together. 7

8. A merry-gc-round comprising a circular frame formed of segments, eachsegment comprising spaced bands forming supports for seats, a wheelcarried by each segment provided with a crank shaft carrying crank armsprovided with pedals, the upper edge of said frame being in a planeabove the periphery of said wheels and means for securing said segmentstogether to form a circular frame.

9. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of sections, eachsection being provided with a supporting wheel and comprising spacedbands, U shaped clips having inclined connecting bars carried by one endof each section, a single clip provided with an inclined connecting barcarried by the opposite end of each section, said clips being sodisposed that when the ends of the sections are arranged in engagementwith one another an inclined socket is formed, a wedge-shaped memberadapted to be disposed within said socket and a plate straddling theupper edges of said bands carrying a bolt passing through saidwedge-shaped member having a nut mounted thereon for drawing saidwedge-shaped member within said clips to draw the abutting ends of saidsections together.

10. A self-propelled merry-go-round formed of a circular frame composedof spaced bands, wheel frames arranged between said bands for spacingsaid bands adjacent their lower edges, horses heads arranged betweensaid bands adjacent the upper edges for spacing said bands, wheelsmounted in said frame enclosed by said bands, said bands extendingupwardly beyond the periphery of said wheels, said wheels carrying axlesprovided with crank shafts having pedals and a circular track upon whichsaid wheels are mounted.

11. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of sections,each section being provided with supporting wheels and comprising spacedbands, U-shaped clips carried by said sections, a wedge-shape memberadapted to be disposed within said clips and a bolt for moving saidwedge-shaped members to draw the sections of said bands together.

12. A merry-go-round comprising a circular frame formed of sections, theabutting ends of said sections being provided with U-shaped clips, awedge shaped block arranged within said clips and a bolt engaging saidblock for drawing said sections together.

13. A self-propelled merry-go-round comprising a pair of circular bandsformed of sections having overlapping ends, said bands forming acircular frame, a wheel frame secured between said bands at the junctionof the overlapping ends, shafts mounted in said wheel frames, wheelsmounted on said shafts, the periphery of said wheels terminating in aplane below the upper edges of said bands, cranks carried by saidshafts, pedals carried by said cranks, and a circular track upon whichsaid wheels are mounted.

14. A self-propelled merry-go-round formed of a circular frame composedof spaced sectional bands having overlapping ends, wheel frames arrangedbetween the overlapping ends of said bands, transversely arrangedfastening means extending through said wheel frames and overlapping endsof said bands for securing said overlapping ends of said bands togetherand said wheel frames between said bands, wheels mounted in said wheelframes, the periphery of said wheels terminating in a plane below theupper edges of said bands.

15. A merry-go-round having a circular frame formed of sectional bandshaving their ends overlapped, wheel frames arranged between said bandsat the junction with the overlapping ends thereof and secured inposition by securing means passing through said wheel frames andoverlapping ends of said bands, said wheel frames holding said bandsspaced apart at their lower edges, horses heads provided with reducedneck portions arranged between the overlapping ends of said bandsadjacent the upper ends, securing means extending through saidoverlapping ends and necks of said horses heads for securing the necksof said horses heads between said bands and said bands together adjacentthe upper edges and wheels mounted in said wheel frames for supportingsaid main frame, the periphery of said wheels terminating in a planebelow the upper edges of said bands.

WILLIAM W. DITTMAR. ISAAC S. BARTO.

